Backstory: Where new McDonald's and relocated ones are going, and who's closing

Monday

Aug 18, 2014 at 7:00 AM

If it seems like area McDonald's restaurants are like Gremlins in water, relax — they're not going to continue to multiply all over the county.

Todd Porter CantonRep.com Special Projects Editor @toddporter

If it seems like area McDonald’s restaurants are like Gremlins in water, relax — they’re not going to continue to multiply all over the county. Stark County McDonald’s are in the midst of relocating two stores and opening a new one, based on a traffic study by McDonald’s.

All three McDonald’s are owned by Siegfried Enterprise, which is owned by Paul Siegfried.

The McDonald’s on Everhard Road, just east of Whipple, is moving to the new store that is nearly finished on Belden Village Street and Everhard, where the old K-Carpet Plaza used to be. Part of the problem with the old Everhard location was the nearly impossible left turn in or out of McDonald’s.

“It’s a huge improvement in location,” Siegfried said. “The old one is almost 40 years old. It was built before (Belden Village Mall). So we were not where our customers are. Now there’s an entrance on each street (Belden and Everhard) so you don’t have to make a left turn.”

That McDonald’s is scheduled to open Aug. 25.

The McDonald’s on Fulton, next to Fisher Foods, will close and move to a new building on Fulton and Whipple. That will open in about 45 days, near the end of September.

McDonald’s International owns both of the old buildings and will use a broker to sell both places as soon as the new restaurants are open.

The new McDonald’s is going in Foxboro Plaza. Ground is to break today, with a planned opening near the end of October.

All of the movement is a result of a traffic study completed five years ago.

“We knew five years ago where the correct locations are where the three are going to be built,” Siegfried said. “It was a matter of the sites becoming available, and they had to become available at the same time. It’s really a one of kind in the country where we re-arranged the market to fit our customers’ needs in one move.”

The logistics of the planning, Siegfried said, was intense. Each of the new or relocated stores had to open within 30 days of each other, which is why site acquisition was important. McDonald’s wouldn’t want so many new and old places near each other open at the same time.

“It was an intense study, and it was clear where our customers were coming from and where they wanted us to be,” Siegfried said.

The good news for Stark County is Siegfried Enterprises is adding about 100 people to its payroll. Sixty will run the new place and an additional 30 will keep up with the expected rise in business of the relocations, and 10 managers.

WHO’S BUILDING ALL THOSE

Oliveri Construction landed all the McDonald’s construction contracts. Oliveri also has started the work for Tom Locke’s McDonald’s that is going in across from Walsh University. Legal action has temporarily stopped construction of that restaurant.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

Locke’s restaurant relocation is being held up because a group of residents near the relocation site does not want a McDonald’s to go in the plaza. They believe it will increase traffic and noise, among other things. A Stark County Common Pleas ruling has sided with Locke, but that order has been stayed until an appeal is heard.

What’s perplexing about this is why didn’t anyone raise issues when a Sonic, Wendy’s and Taco Bell were built practically across the street from the site Locke’s McDonald’s is going?

OLD CAROLINA AND LEBRON

Well before LeBron James decided to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the folks at Old Carolina Barbecue Company were working with LeBron James’ Family Foundation. The welcome home celebration that was held at InfoCision Stadium last week was an event to celebrate the families and the students who are in the foundation’s “Wheels for Education” program.

The foundation initially started out looking for a caterer who could feed about 2,000 people for the event. Before James opted to become a free agent and sign with the Cavaliers, the event was going take place at Mud Run Golf Course.

After James signed, the event ballooned.

What was originally 2,000 people, became 3,000 people and then 4,500.

Old Carolina co-founders Brian Bailey and Tim Hug set up the night before the event in a parking lot near InfoCision. Hug actually spent the night there.

The families in the wheels program and special guests dined on pulled pork, chicken, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and green beans.

Pulling off something like that has Bailey and Hug eyeing larger events.

“An event like that is one heck of a resume-builder; 4,500 people fed in two hours with no waiting,” Bailey said. “I hope the 2016 Republican National Convention event planners are paying attention.”

HERITAGE OPENING

Heritage Villas, an adult care community in North Canton, will hold a grand opening celebration Sunday from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. The facility is located at 905 Pittsburg Ave. NW. There will be free hamburgers and hot dogs as well as ribbon-cutting ceremony.

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